Many gas barbeque grills have a type of burner called an IR (Infrared) burner or mesh burner. This type of burner is different from the typical burner in that it is not of circular or oblong geometry with flames propagating from the sides. This type of burner is generally a box shaped structure, where the front is a honeycomb matrix of very small diameter holes. The honeycomb matrix is generally of a complex design since the flames that propagate from the holes are small. There are generally grooves carved into the honeycomb matrix to allow additional air to support the flames.
The IR (Infrared) or mesh burner may be mounted either in the rear or top of an outdoor grill or a conventional home oven. When mounted in this way, the problems that are presented become apparent. When cooking foods such as steaks and chicken, it is normal for the food to splatter grease and other particulate matter in all directions. The other surfaces of the grill or oven are either of the self cleaning type, or may have some form of oven cleaner applied in order to maintain the cleanliness of the grill or oven.
The surfaces of the grill or oven are typically very smooth, so the use of any type of chemical cleaner will not adversely affect the finishes of the grill or oven (excepting self cleaning ovens). The surface of the IR burner is substantially different. The matrix of holes previously described are small, typically approximately. 7 mm (0.030 inch) in diameter. Should any grease and particulate matter splatter onto the face of the IR or mesh burner, it is very likely to clog some of the holes. The use of a chemical cleaner would very likely have the affect of further clogging the holes, which then would result in loss of efficiency of the IR or mesh burner. Scrubbing the surface of the IR burner would damage the burner grid as the material that comprises the matrix is very soft. A wire brush, or even a scrubbing cloth may easily damage the surface of the grid, permanently damaging the hole pattern, which again causes a loss of heating efficiency. The use of a wire to unclog the holes, again would have a detrimental effect on the holes. The hole walls would be scratched or penetrated by the wire, damaging the matrix.
The purpose of this invention is to substantially reduce the damage to the hole matrix of the IR mesh burners.
The following description is provided to enable a person skilled in the art to make and use the invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventor for carrying out his invention. Various modifications, however, will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, since the generic principles of the present invention have been defined herein specifically to provide for an improved protection for an Infra-red burner grid.
The object of this invention is to create a shield that would be placed between the cooking food and the IR or mesh burner in order to prevent the splatter of grease and particulate matter, which might clog the hole matrix of the IR or mesh burner.
A further object of this invention is to create a radiating surface that would provide even heating of the cooking food.
The objects of this invention are achieved by attaching support structure to the grill or oven. Mounted within the support structure would be a heat resistant transparent material. The width of the transparency would be large enough to prevent any direct splatter from impacting and therefore clogging the IR or mesh burner""s hole matrix, while the length would generally span the length of the grill""s or oven""s internal cavity.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,114,666 by Best discloses a HEATING ASSEMBLY AND COOKING APPARATUS. A heat radiating plate is a component of a heating assembly and is shown mounted horizontally, radiating heat upwards towards the food. A flammable gas/air mixture penetrates through the burner plates creating a flame front on the upper surface of the burner plates. The heat radiating plate is spaced above the flame front and absorbs heat from the flame front on it""s lower surface, which it radiates on it""s upper surface to cook food. In this invention, the burners are directly below the food. When the food is cooked, drippings from the food will fall on the burners, thus clogging the burners. The purpose of U.S. Pat. No. 6,114,666 prevents the under-fired burner from failing because of water or drippings clogging the burners. The applicant""s invention differs in that the cover sheet is vertical and may also be reoriented to any position in a 120 degree arc, whereas U.S. Pat. No. 6,114,666 is fixed in a horizontal position resting on top of the burner assembly. Also, the food cooked on the applicant""s grill will allow food drippings to fall away from the burner assembly, whereas in U.S. Pat. No. 6,114,666 the drippings will fall into the burner assembly, as noted above.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,235 by Kim et al. shows an INFRARED GAS BURNER FOR GAS COOKERS. This unit is designed to deliver infrared radiation to a cooking pot by means of a ceramic plate that is heated by flames from a burner unit. The cover plate is designed to hold only pots and pans on a burner plate, thus preventing damage to the ceramic burner. The current invention is designed to cook a wide variety of foods in a barbeque.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,044 by Best discloses an INFRARED GAS GRILL. This invention has a plenum that contains a perforated sheet metal plate that acts as a gas air mixture baffle. A set of burner elements provide a flame front on their upper surfaces. This invention has a grease shield and radiant deflector assembly that contains a series of generally xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cVxe2x80x9d shaped emitters that have flanges to capture grease. These emitters are attached onto a pair of rails. Although this assembly generally captures grease and provides a surface to emit radiant energy, it is highly complex and generally more difficult to clean than a simple flat plate.